Dear Fellow Warrior,
As we closed out Mental Health Awareness Month, I made this statement on Facebook… to my Muslim brothers and sisters, to my family, and to anyone who once called me a friend and has followed my journey online.
You’ve witnessed my voice… always active, always striving… across these platforms.
Your silence has been the most piercing disappointment.
I’m not sure whether it’s fear, judgment, cowardice, evil eye/jealousy/envy, or discomfort with the truths I raise… Allah knows best…
But invoking “Allah is sufficient” and the like, does not absolve you of your Islamic duty to show compassion, care, and solidarity with fellow Muslims, especially those who are struggling, and especially on matters of faith and justice, like Palestine.
It deeply disturbs me how most people have turned Palestine into a “popularity contest.”
I’ve seen it, not just with my own posts on social media, but on others’ as well… the original reflections, writings, commentary, art, and heartfelt observations, videos, publications, and work from real people in your own networks are ignored… while reposted content from “popular” accounts gets more engagement.
This selective engagement is not okay, and I bring it up because it speaks to a larger problem…it reveals something that no one talks about in our social and power dynamics, and it is harmful.
It is part of the same neoliberal culture that silences authenticity and uplifts only what is branded, filtered, or deemed socially acceptable.
Whether intentional or not, this behavior is erasure as well, and it contradicts the very principles of justice and sincerity we are taught in Islam.
You may not realize the harm that “others” people, dehumanizing those who speak up, and punishing those who are brave and vulnerable to show up with authenticity…. so that no one speaks out in their original authentic voices…
Now…When it comes to mental health and Islam, many of us have heard the dismissive line…. “Just pray. Just remember Allah. Just rely on Allah…You’ll be fine.”
That is not support. That is spiritual bypassing.
And it’s more than ignorance. It is complicity in social injustice.
The truth is that you watched your Muslim sister struggle, and you said and did nothing. You continue to say and do nothing.
Do you think that this will not be accounted for?
Part of the reason I am still alive today, surviving multiple suicide attempts, is because I recognized the humanity in myself that others dehumanized.
I chose to empower myself to stay alive. And somehow, instead of offering love and support, you punished me for surviving.
You punished me for my truth, my resilience, my existence, and my persistence… simply because I chose to share that journey openly. I chose not to survive in silence… not to fight in silence…
That is not right.
As with my earlier statements, I will continue to raise these issues, not just for myself, but in case it helps you do better with others in the future.
Even if it doesn’t change your perception and ultimately your treatment of me, maybe it will help you have the courage to reach out and offer better support to someone else who is struggling right in front of your eyes…
That is what makes me the “Qurbani Ka bakara,” the sacrificial goat... here…
You must know that some of the best people out there, with the biggest hearts, are those with mental health conditions and personality disorders, are those who have gone through tremendous struggles.
Yet they are the most vulnerable and “othered” amongst all.
And if I am wrong in my tone or approach… then may Allah forgive me.
But at least I know that I spoke the truth, and for that, I will not apologize. I will not apologize for lifting the veil, for removing the masks, for calling out the injustices that too many choose to ignore.
A verse from the Surah I read while walking the UNRWA DC Gaza 5K run this weekend:
“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives…” – Surah An-Nisa (4:135)
And from our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh):
“The believers, in their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy, are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.”- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih
I will continue speaking these truths against injustice… no matter how many times I have to repeat them for the rest of my life.
Saying this serves not only as a catharsis for me. I am confident there is truth in them… truth that too often goes unspoken.
And let this be an important reminder to all of us during Dhul Hijjah.
May Allah humble me and continue to increase me in knowledge. May Allah help us forgive one another and become better at truly being there for one another. Ameen.
In Solidarity, Salam, and Peace, Warmth and Blessings,
Your sister, Dr. Elsa, Warrior KQueen
“She wasn’t looking for Knight. She was Looking for a Sword.” – Atticus
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran
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